It has been confirmed that Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje will headline UFC 323 on December 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Topuria’s next fight will see him defend his UFC Lightweight Title against the #5 ranked 155-pound contender before the end of the year.
Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje Confirmed For UFC 323
Ilia Topuria’s next fight has been confirmed as he takes on Justin Gaethje in the main event at UFC 323 on December 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Although an official announcement is yet to come from Dana White or the UFC, rumours are rife that ‘El Matador’ will take on ‘The Highlight’ in his first UFC Lightweight Title defence.
This comes despite Chael Sonnen officially confirming Topuria’s first UFC Lightweight Title defence earlier this week against Arman Tsarukyan.
UFC 323 is set to go down in the last pay-per-view event of 2025, with the T-Mobile Arena confirmed as the venue for this bumper UFC PPV Christmas cracker.
‘El Matador’ was last seen knocking out future UFC Hall of Famer Charles Oliveira in one round at UFC 317, becoming the lightweight king in the process. In his nine-fight UFC tenure, the Spanish-Georgian MMA phenom has looked unbeatable.
Topuria boasts a perfect 17-0 record as the latest two-division UFC champion, and he looks to enhance his impressive resume even further in his second fight up at 155-pounds before the end of the year.
Gaethje won his last fight too, outpointing Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 back in March in the ‘Fight of the Night’. Since then, the American has been vocal about getting the next UFC Lightweight Title shot, and his wish has been granted at UFC 323 it seems.
‘The Highlight’ demanded the next UFC Lightweight Title shot, which is exactly what UFC President Dana White has granted.
Expect an official confirmation on the Topuria vs Gaethje UFC 323 main event in the coming weeks, but it seems this is the next 155-pound title fight in a red-hot lightweight division.
🚨BREAKING: Ilia Topuria will defend his Lightweight Championship Belt for the first time against Justin Gaethje at #UFC323
The fight will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 13th. pic.twitter.com/DjXkuZ1Fsp
— Octagon Pulse | UFC MEDIA🚨 (@OctagonPulse) August 7, 2025
Who Will Be The Topuria vs Gaethje Favourite At UFC 323?
With Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje headlining UFC 323 a matter of weeks before Christmas, Dana White is ending the year on a high with a truly epic main event in his last pay-per-view event of the year.
Although unconfirmed, it seems that ‘El Matador’ is looking to make a successful first defence of his 155-pound belt before 2025 is over and out, before embarking on a potentially huge year next as the #1 pound-for-pound king.
In fact, UFC betting sites have already listed Topuria as an overwhelming favourite to beat Gaethje in their UFC Lightweight Title match up on December 13.
Gaethje may be a credible contender and the #5 ranked fighter at lightweight, but the majority of fans don’t give ‘The Highlight’ much of a chance at all of beating the Spanish-Georgian MMA superstar in their UFC 323 clash at the T-Mobile Arena.
This will be the third time that Gaethje challenges for the UFC Lightweight Title, having lost his two previous attempts to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira respectively.
It could be third time lucky for the 36-year-old, but this fight against Topuria could arguably be the toughest of the lot. Gaethje is fairly easy to hit, which is a recipe for disaster against someone as powerful, accurate, fast and spiteful as ‘El Matador’.
Ilia Topuria’s wife Georgina Uzcategui Badell will be there at octagon-side cheering on her man, as he looks to further cement his legacy as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
Time will tell what happens on fight night as Topuria vs Gaethje headlines UFC 323 in Las Vegas on December 13.
